Alfredo Catalani's letters contain an eyewitness account of the process of creating opera in turn-of-the-century Italy. They show what he and his contemporaries, among them Puccini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, and Giordano, went through to obtain a libretto, arrange a premiere, and encourage subsequent productions of a new score. This volume provides readers not versed in Italian an opportunity to learn about the composer of "La Wally" and "Loreley".